


Stumble, Don't Fall

by VirtueToMoir (NycterisM)



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:40:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4532964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NycterisM/pseuds/VirtueToMoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tessa and Andrew are frustrated with the lack of progress in their relationships with their partners and a split moment decision could well turn out to be the worst idea they've ever had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stumble, Don't Fall

**Author's Note:**

> For the purposes of this AU, Tessa, Scott, Kaitlyn, and Andrew all train at the same rink in an undisclosed city in Ontario. They live in this same city. Kaitlyn and Andrew share an apartment while Tessa and Scott have their own houses. Ages are current.

Tessa leaned against her car and frowned. Her nails dug into her palms as she fisted her hands and swung them against the metal.

A month. It had been a full month since Scott had broken up with his last girlfriend. She hated this waiting period. Waiting to see what he would do. Who he would reach for next. Each time she hoped beyond anything he would finally see her, would finally come to her. But each time he didn’t. It wouldn’t be long now before he found someone. There was no shortage of women ready and eager to date her partner. And she knew he didn’t like to be alone. It felt unnerving to him.

Any day now. She didn’t know what to do. She’d thought she’d shown him in every way possible that she wanted him. She knew he wanted her. That much was obvious. On days like today when they trained and he would move so close to her, hands running over her body in places that weren’t strictly necessary or routine. She would feel him pressed against her and know he was as turned on by it all as she was. She tried to show him. She would melt in closer and accept everything he was willing to give her.

But always he would shut down. He would back off and go back to skating purely technical moves.

She had to do something. Anything. But what, there was nothing to be done. She needed something to shove him over the edge. Something that would force him to admit how he felt.

“Hey Tessa.”

She looked up to find Andrew smiling down at her. His gym bag was slung over his shoulder and one hand hung from his pocket as he strolled closer along the lines of cars.

“Hey.”

“You waiting for Scott?” He shrugged his bag to the ground.

“Yeah.”

Andrew nodded.

“I’m waiting for Kait. They shouldn’t be long. I just saw them talking to Julia near the entrance.”

Julia was one of the younger skaters here. She idolised Kaitlyn and had taken to wearing her mouse brown hair in a copy of Kaitlyn’s favourite braid.

“Hey Tessa.” Andrew frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” She stood straighter and looked up at him. That was a mistake. The concern in his eyes brought tears welling to her own. “No, I’m not.” She admitted and slumped back against the car.

A stuttering explanation of her frustration and how she felt and the whole situation came from her bit by bit as Andrew nodded sympathetically and hummed understanding.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pour all that onto you. I just-.”

“Hey. It’s okay.” Andrew patted her shoulder. “I get it, I do.” He took a deep breath as if to divulge some great secret.

“Things get difficult for me with Kaitlyn too, you know.” He watched his foot as he bounced it off the wheel of her car. “You’re not the only one who’d like to be able to move forward with their partner.”

“Oh.” Confusion crossed Tessa’s face. “But Kait loves you.”

Andrew nodded.

“I know she does. Just as Scott loves you. And yet.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Tessa hung her head and twisted her linked fingers. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know.” Andrew shook his head in resignation.

They heard the doors of the arena bang closed and Tessa glanced around Andrew to see the two partners in question chatting happily and walking toward them.

“They’re coming.”

Andrew glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

Tessa watched them approach. Scott’s laughing relaxed face sparked a flurry of anger within her. How could he be so happy when she was so miserable? A fleeting idea sparked in her mind and she latched on to it.

She stepped closer to Andrew and gripped his forearms.

“Kiss me.” She demanded urgently.

“What?” Andrew leaned back, startled.

“Yeah. Kiss me quick. It’ll work.” The insane idea insisted on its merits.

“What? How?” He held her elbows.

Time was running out. The two were almost on them.

“Just. Convincingly.” Tessa demanded. She reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him toward her. She pressed their lips together. It felt. Odd. Like kissing a brother or cousin or something. But just go with it. Go with it. She silently begged him.

Somewhere along he must have been convinced of the plan because he reached down and pulled her gently against himself.

His lips slid and pressed against hers. Better, Tessa thought. Still odd, but better.

That should be enough now, she thought after a moment and broke away.

She peered around him to see if the plan had worked and froze causing Andrew to turn as well.

Scott and Kaitlyn had indeed seen it all. They had stopped and stood only a car length away. Scott’s bag had slid to the asphalt and Kaitlyn shook as she hugged hers to herself. She looked ready to throw up.

The anger in Scott’s eyes quickly masked to a dull wall of unfeeling acceptance, that horrible blank wall Tessa hated. But the pain lacing Kaitlyn’s eyes was what held them frozen. Too far. It was too much. This had to be the biggest mistake they’d ever made, that she’d ever made.

“Kait.” Tessa whispered and Andrew’s arms fell lifeless back to his sides.

Kaitlyn stumbled backwards, her hands pressed to her mouth and sobs choked her throat. Scott shot a hand out to catch her. She spun away from him and made for her car, fumbling her keys from her bag as she ran.

She jumped in and the engine roared to life shaking Andrew from his horrified stunned state. He ran toward his own car and called back over his shoulder as he ran.

“I’m sorry, Tessa, I’m following that one.”

Tessa nodded and called a “Yup” after his retreating back. Her eyes didn’t leave Scott’s as they bore into hers, pinning her to the spot.

 

* * *

 

Andrew found Kaitlyn in sitting on the edge of the couch in their joint apartment. That surprised him a little. He’d thought he would get home to find her in her room and shut away from him. They shared an apartment but they had an unspoken unbreakable rule that their bedrooms were their own. There were no locks on their doors, but there might as well have been. They never entered or even knocked on each other’s doors unless it was an emergency.

But here she was on the couch. Her knees pressed together, her hands gripping each other like a vice. She was shaking slightly as though she was cold. Andrew considered pulling one of their blankets over and covering her with it but realised she wasn’t cold, she was tense. The most tense he had ever seen her.

Testings and competitions in front of judges and millions had nothing on how she shook now and the fear that radiated from her. The horror of what he’d done to her rocked him.

Andrew nudged the coffee table out of the way and knelt before her.

“Kait.” His voice came soft as a whisper into the silent cloud of fear surrounding her. “Kait. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“Is it t-true?” Kaitlyn continued to stare at her hands. “D-do you want-? Are you with-?” She sighed and forced the name past her lips in a choked whisper. “Tessa.”

“No!” Andrew jumped a little at the force of his own denial before continuing in a gentler tone. “No, I’m not. I don’t. I’m not into Tessa.” He pressed on hoping transparent truth would help the situation. “I mean, sure she’s very attractive and beautiful.” The lacings of resigned pain that settled into Kaitlyn’s eyes told him in no uncertain terms that that had been the wrong thing to say and he hastened to finish. “But she’s not who I want.”

“Then why were you,” Kaitlyn frowned and squeezed her eyes shut. “Kissing her.”

Her eyes wrenched open again and she finally lifted them to his.

He smiled, encouraged that he could once more see the beautiful green he longed for. Her eyes were reddened by tears and her face pale and blotchy. He knew she must have cried all the way home. Tears and pain he’d caused her like the idiot he was. Andrew lifted his hands and cradled her face. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and smoothed her hair from her face.

“It was stupid. It was-.” He paused, searching for the best way to explain. Start at the beginning, he supposed. “I was waiting for you to finish up inside and I came out to the car park to wait. Tessa was leaning against her car and staring at Scott’s with this weird look on her face. She looked like, I don’t know, like the world was falling apart and she didn’t know how to save it. You know how they get.”

Kaitlyn nodded. No one did melodrama quite like Tessa and Scott.

“Anyway, I asked her what was wrong and she said something about how she was sick of waiting and hoping and getting nowhere with him, or something like that. Something about how even though he was single again but still nothing.” Andrew struggled to recall exactly what the tiny brunette had said from this point on his thoughts had been firmly fixed on the blonde in front of him.

“I just kept thinking about us and how we were kind of similar in that we never moved forward and how something had to happen to get things moving or something. Then you and Scott came out of the arena and Tessa’s face lights up with an idea. It was kinda creepy actually. She looked a bit crazy.” Andrew couldn’t fight a tiny chuckle at the memory.

“So she turns back to me and tells me to kiss her. I said, ‘What?’ And she’s, ‘Yeah. Kiss me.’ And I don’t know, maybe I was sucked into the Tessa crazy for a moment but in that split second it seemed like a good idea and the thing we needed. Like the thing all four of us needed. I don’t know. But that’s the end to it, Kait. I promise there’s nothing going on.”

Andrew fell silent and waited for her verdict. Please forgive me. Please forgive me.

Kaitlyn shifted a little on the couch.

“So what you’re saying is-. The person you want is-.” She couldn’t seem to make herself finish.

Andrew took her hands and looked her square in the eyes. It was now or never. This was the whole reason for the mess in the first place. Time for courage and bravery, Pojé.

“You. I want to be with you, Kait.”

Andrew’s heart swelled as Kaitlyn’s face lit up. He loved watching her get excited. As though a candle had been lit inside her, it would grow brighter and brighter until she was positively beaming. It reminded him of that movie they’d watched a few weeks ago, Stardust, with the girl who was a star and her strength was shining. Kaitlyn was a star. But he had never thought he would see her shine like this at the prospect of being with him.

Kaitlyn rocked forward on the edge of the couch.

“I want that, too.” She ducked her head, shyness overcoming her.

Andrew grinned. That much was amazingly and astoundingly obvious. How she wanted him like that blew his mind. He was just him. He’d made so many mistakes and had so many flaws, he’d never deserve her. Yet here she was, for some reason he couldn’t fathom, wanting him just as much as he wanted her.

Kaitlyn launched herself off the couch and threw her arms about his neck. He caught her and hugged her firm against his chest. Then, as his legs weren’t actually Japanese or any other culture where people grew up used to kneeling for long periods of time and were now screaming at him in protest, (okay, maybe not screaming, but being very insistent) he manoeuvred them both onto the couch.

He found a comfortable position and drew Kaitlyn onto his lap, winding his arms about her. He swept comforting strokes the length of her back, from her shoulder to her hip and up again.

Kaitlyn studied his face. Her eyes roamed over every feature often journeying to his mouth before darting way again to explore his eyes or cheeks or forehead before sinking back to his lips.

“Can-? Can I-?” Her fingers crept to graze his chin.

“Can you what, Kait?” He couldn’t resist the tease, urging her to say the words.

A pink blush brightened her skin and joined the light shining from her eyes. Andrew thought she looked rather like a rose. The pink and yellow ones in his Nan’s garden. He made a mental note to bring home a bunch next time for comparison.

“Can I kiss you?” The word ‘kiss’ came out barely audible and Andrew gave her a teasing look of confusion for her efforts.

Kaitlyn cleared her throat and tried again.

“Can I kiss you?”

The blush intensified.

Andrew grinned.

“Please do.”

Kaitlyn giggled and leaned forward. She very carefully pressed her lips to his and then pulled back, uncertain. Andrew smiled and nudged her closer again with a gentle push on her back.

She drew the courage and scattered tiny kisses over his lips. One here, one there. He let her take the lead and explore as little or as much as she liked until it all got a bit much for him. He nipped back at her trying to catch her lips but she darted out of the way with a delighted laugh.

Andrew growled and gave her a tiny joking glare. Kaitlyn laughed more and pressed her hands against his chest, moving herself further away.

He couldn’t have that. He grinned at her and crossed his legs in one smooth motion, tipping her forward and catching her mouth with his own. He wound one hand into her golden hair and cradled the back of her head. She let out a muffled sigh as he nudged past her lips and began to systematically explore her mouth. Her fingers mimicked him and threaded their way into his dark hair.

They remained on the couch for what could have been hours or years, Andrew lost track. Somewhere between showering each other’s faces with kisses and exploring mouths Kaitlyn had sighed, “Remind me to thank Tessa.” And then she added a firm, “After we have words.”

 

* * *

 

The next evening, at Tessa’s invitation, Kaitlyn and Andrew walked up the path to Scott’s front door.

Andrew paused just shy of the doorbell when they heard Tessa yelp and whine.

“Don’t. Stop it.”

“Don’t stop it? Okay.” Came Scott’s laughing reply.

“Scott! They’ll be here any second.”

Weak slaps followed by warning growls came through the door.

A loud thud and gasps from Tessa echoed through the hallway.

Kaitlyn and Andrew raised their eyebrows at each other and as one stepped closer to the door to peer through the glass.

Scott held Tessa up against the wall. Her skirt rode up high on her thighs as her legs encircled his waist and her head knocked against the dull white paint. Her hands pushed against his shoulders and one slipped around to tug on the hair at the back of his neck. Whether she was pushing him away or pulling him closer was unclear. Scott had yanked the top of her t-shirt dress aside and was feasting on her breasts while his hands roamed her waist and back. Tessa squirmed against him. When Scott’s hand left her waist and disappeared beneath her skirt Kaitlyn jumped and rocked back to her heels. She shoved Andrew out of the way and began jamming her thumb against the doorbell in earnest.

Squeals and “fucks” from inside made Kaitlyn pause to wonder whether she should have dragged Andrew off for a long walk around several blocks instead of alerting the couple inside to their presence. But no, she decided in defiance. It wasn’t as though they were barging in. Tessa, and presumably Scott, had invited them over. In any case, they’d probably been going at it like bunnies since yesterday afternoon and they could damn well put the brakes on for a couple of hours.

Kaitlyn, in her usual astuteness, wasn’t far wrong.

 

* * *

 

Andrew tore out of the parking lot after Kaitlyn and Tessa stood alone facing Scott. The carpark was eerily quiet. She could hear the sounds of the city in the distance and cars driving along but everything sounded very far away and underwater. The only thing her mind recognised as important was him. His chest rising and falling in deliberate calm. His hands hanging by his sides in what could be mistaken as a relaxed position, but she knew he was fighting the urge to ball them into fists.

His eyes were hard. His face steeled into a mask of emotionless void. She wished he’d say something. Anything. Anything would be better than this deathly silence.

With measured movements he reached into his pocket and drew out his own car keys and studied them.

“Whatever you want, Tessa.” He muttered and walked past her toward his car. “As always. Whatever you want.”

Now she was mad.

“Whatever I want?!” Her voice startled a few birds off the roof of a car a few paces away. Tessa spun on her heel and ducked between Scott and the driver’s side door so he couldn’t escape. Not this time. “Fuck you, Scott. Since when has it ever just been about what I want?” Her index finger jabbed him in the chest.

He caught her wrist and forced it back by her side.

“It is, Tess. You know it is.”

“What? I’m not the one who’s gone on a dating spree of Canada.”

A tick jumped along Scott’s clenched jaw.

“You don’t remember?” His voice was deadly quiet. His eyes searched hers for whatever memory he wanted to pull from inside her.

“What? Remember what?” Tessa asked, her fingers itched to smooth the frown and pain from his face.

“That day. You sat on my bed and told me you didn’t want us.”

The memory floated to the surface. But could he really be talking about that day? It was years ago when they were just teenagers. It was a stifling hot day. The end of the summer before they were due to head back to training. They’d sort of dated, which for them amounted to making out on each other’s beds and behind trees whenever they could get away with it. It had lasted all of a week.

She’d known he’d been hurt by her decision to call it quits. He’d had tears in his eyes when she’d hugged him and made herself walk out the door. But it had blown over. A few days later they were back on the ice working harder and better than ever.

“You said you didn’t want to be tied down.” He reminded her.

“Are you kidding me?! I was sixteen!” Tessa shook with frustration and anger at the whole mess. “Forgive me if I wanted to focus on our career for a few years and see a bit more of the world, and yeah, maybe even date someone else before we settled down. I didn’t want you to be the only boy I’d ever kissed. They only one I’d ever dated. How else was I meant to prove to myself that you really were as wonderful as I thought you were? And then I had to watch you-. Again and again.”

“I hated it.” She mumbled her admission at his shoulder. Tears stung her eyes as the heartache of years she’d tried desperately to keep shoved far down inside herself flooded forth. Time after time she’d had to remind herself that it was his life, his choice. He wasn’t tied to her. She had to be happy for him. But she couldn’t. Pretending she didn’t care over and over tore her apart.

“I didn’t mean never. I just meant not right then.”

“But I did, Tessa. I did. I know we were young. But honest, Tess. I knew. I knew much earlier than that. I knew you were my life in the same way I recognised you when I was nine. When you said no, it... I remember that moment. It was this strange and terrible realisation that my life would never be as wonderful as it could have been. It would always fall short. So yeah, I dated other girls. I was trying, Tess. I was trying to figure out a way to live. If I couldn’t have overwhelming happiness with you, I at least wanted to find a bit of it with someone else.”

He fell silent and stared sightless over her shoulder and into his car.

Tessa bit her lip, her heart choking her throat.

“Say something.” He urged.

But she couldn’t. What could she say?

Instead she leaned into him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. It was followed by another. And another. Until she wound her arms about his neck and his hands swept over her back, hugging her tight against himself while their tongues danced and searched.

With a light fairy kiss to the edge of his mouth, Tessa pulled away and rested her forehead against his.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I’m so sorry. If I could go back and be clearer about what I meant, I would.”

He nodded against her forehead.

“I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry I didn’t see you were ready or that you wanted more.”

“I am. I want all of you, all of us.”

“For how long this time?”

Uncertainty and disbelief still wavered around the edges of his voice.

Tessa leaned back and sought his gaze. She held her palm to the side of his face, urging him to believe her. To see the truth of what she felt.

“Forever.”

“Really?” Scott sounded unconvinced.

“Really. Marry me, Scott Moir. Chain me to your kitchen sink.”

Scott chuckled.

“Now there’s a thought. That bench is pretty strong.”

Giggles bubbled up inside Tessa until she threw her head back against the car and laughed. Scott chuckled and soon followed her, roaring mirth into the sky. Their laughter subsided into happy sighs and Tessa snuggled into his chest as close as she could get.

Scott slipped a hand through her hair to hold her head close. His thumb stroked the shell of her ear and her sighs deepened to soft moans. Sneaking her fingers beneath his sweater she drew little circles over his skin. She explored the definition of his muscles. Memories of long ago when they’d studied anatomy supplied a few names of them for her and she decided she wanted to do this again with a textbook at her side.

For now though, she sucked her lower lip between her teeth and skittered her fingers around to his abs and traced the top of his pants. He gave a growl and caught her wrist. He didn’t move her hand away however so she took advantage of the fact and reached just below the band of his jeans to stroke more of his skin.

“Tessa.” He hissed and moved her hand away. “Do you really want to start that here?”

Tessa gave him a look that stated in no uncertain terms that she really did.

“Here? Is where you want the first time we do this to happen? Against my car? In a carpark? Where my mother, aunt, cousins, clan, your family, and every impressionable young skater, not to mention the ones we teach, could wander along at any moment?”

Tessa sighed in resignation.

“Since when are you the level-headed one? Fine. Let’s go home.”

They drove to his house in convoy. Tessa pulled into his driveway behind him and reached for her bag. She followed him into the house where he paused in the living room and she hovered behind him.

“So.” He turned to face her, hands swinging a little at his sides. “How do you want to do this?”

He shifted from one foot to the other and back again. Tessa tightened her grip on her bag.

“You wanna take it slow or…” He trailed off.

Tessa looked up at him through her eyelashes.

“Not even a little bit.”

A brilliant grin swept over Scott’s face.

“Oh thank God.” He swept her up into his arms bag and all and carried her down the hall to his bedroom.

Later that evening, Tessa woke. Scott was asleep and drifting snuggled into her side. She rested her head against his and smiled. Wondering what had happened with Andrew and Kaitlyn caused her to reach for her phone. She really hoped they’d been able to sort things out. Now everything had settled with Scott she felt horrible about Kaitlyn. The look on her face when she’d seen Tessa in Andrew’s arms haunted Tessa’s memory. She settled back under the covers and Scott snuggled closer again, arms about her waist and his face buried against her neck.

She wasn’t sure what this fascination he had with her neck was, she didn’t personally count it as one of her best features. She wasn’t going to argue with it, though. His mouth on her neck felt wonderful, if she was being truthful. A little too wonderful if he hit that certain spot near her ear. Ordinarily she relished it, but it had caused more than a few problems while they were skating programs and he ventured a little too close. She’d had to mutter to him to back off on more than one occasion, concerned the cameras would pick up that they were getting a little too into their program. Again.

Now she bent her head toward him and cuddled him with her cheek, letting him snuggle as close as he liked. She lifted her phone and searched through it for Andrew’s number.

She typed out a quick message.

_How did it go? Is everything okay?_

He replied within a few seconds.

**Couldn’t be better! You?**

_Perfect_. She replied and then followed it up.

_Is Kaitlyn okay?_

Andrew’s replies came in a flurry.

**Yeah. She’s fine.**

**Better than fine.**

**She’s amazing.**

**Best person who ever lived.**

Tessa giggled. Relief that everything had worked out okay swept through her and she sighed in perfect contentment.

“Who are you talking to?” Scott muffled against her neck. His hand moved up from her waist to settle over her ribs. His thumb brushed the underside of her breast causing her breathing to speed up.

“Andrew.” She answered softly, hoping he had more plans for that hand than what he currently had going on.

“Kaitlyn okay?” He asked, the reason for her late night conversation plain as day to him.

“Mhmm.”

“Good.” He spread tiny licks and nips over her neck till he hit the spot he’d been searching for.

Tessa squirmed against him.

“I’m-I’m going to inv-vite them over tomorrow night.”

“Good idea.” He swept his hand higher and she nearly dropped her phone onto her chest.

She tapped out a hurried invitation.

_Svott’s house tomorrow nought?_

After a pause, which Tessa didn’t really notice as Scott decided now was the time to start stroking and lightly pinching at her breast while his mouth moved from her neck to her other breast, Andrew replied.

**Haha. Sure, what time?**

Tessa squeaked in relief at his swift affirmative reply and the urgency swiftly building in her.

_7_

She hit send, all but threw her phone at the bedside table, and surrendered blissfully to the onslaught of her partner.

 

* * *

 

Tessa opened the door to let Kaitlyn and Andrew inside while Scott hung back, fighting and failing to keep the satisfied smirk off his face.

Andrew gave Tessa a quick hug before moving to Scott. They gave each other manly slaps on the shoulders and left for the living room, leaving the girls alone in the hall way.

Tessa turned to Kaitlyn. She longed to reach out and hug her but hung back and stared at her own fingers. She lifted her eyes hesitantly to meet Kaitlyn’s.

“Kait. I’m so sorry. I should never-. Are you okay? I didn’t mean-. I’m sorry.” Tears wet her eyes in her desperation for Kaitlyn to believe her, to forgive her, to not be hurt.

Kaitlyn stepped forward and took Tessa’s hands.

“Just tell me. Are you into Andrew?”

“No!” Tessa shook her head. “Definitely not.”

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow and frowned a little.

“I mean- I mean he’s wonderful and any girl would be lucky but I-.”

Kaitlyn chuckled.

“I know, I know. You’re head over heels for Scott and no one else in the world exists.”

Tessa opened her mouth to protest that that was a bit too much of an exaggeration when she considered that no, that was actually fairly accurate.

Kaitlyn laughed at the look on her face then she sobered.

“Never kiss Andrew again.”

“Oh no! I won’t!” Tessa waved her hands in front of herself. And then she considered that there would probably be occasions where she would have to, she amended her declaration. “Well I might have to sometimes. On the cheek. As friends.”

“I’ve seen how you treat your male friends.” Kaitlyn raised a teasing eyebrow at her. “I think we need a redefinition of terms before I’ll let you be Andrew’s friend.”

Kaitlyn linked their arms together and headed for the living room and the boys.

“Platonic friends?” Tessa asked.

“Definitely not.” Kaitlyn shook her head.

 

* * *

 

“So.” Andrew cleared his throat. “I take it yesterday went well?”

“Yeah, it was okay.” Scott offered.

Andrew fought back an urge to laugh at that. He’d heard Scott say a lot of weird stuff in the time they’d been friends but this had to be one of the more ridiculous.

“Given what we heard through the door earlier, I’d say it’s gone more than okay.”

Scott hummed in agreement.

“Tessa proposed to me.”

“Wow.” Andrew hadn’t been expecting that. He thought about his own plans with Kaitlyn and how they’d planned to take it bit by bit. Dating for a while and seeing how things went. He was confident it would end up in a lifetime commitment but there was no need to rush things. “Um. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“Isn’t that going a bit fast, though?”

“Fast? Nah. Feels like we’ve been dating for eighteen years.”

Andrew nodded. He supposed there was a lot of truth in that.

“Andrew.” Scott grew serious all teasing disappeared from his face, a glower pinned Andrew to the spot. “Tessa.”

Andrew began to nod in a frantic effort to be believed.

“Oh no. Yes, of course. I‘ll never again. I didn’t mean. It was wrong. I’m so sorry. It’ll never happen again.”

Scott stared him down. “No, it won’t.”

Andrew swallowed. He had no doubt that the shorter man could send him to hospital if he so desired and he wasn’t at all sure he’d see it coming.

Scott nodded once.

After a beat, humour crept back to sparkle his eyes and curl his lips and Scott was back to his usual light-hearted ways. Scott slapped his shoulder and Andrew coughed out the breath he’d been holding.

Kaitlyn and Tessa entered the room arm in arm.

“Everything okay?” Tessa asked. “Nothing stupid going on like pistols at dawn or anything?”

Scott’s eyes lit up and he looked at Andrew who seemed mildly interested.

“No!” Protested Kaitlyn.

“How about instead of pistols, water pistols.” Scott framed the offer with his hands.

Andrew considered this proposal. It did have merit. He’d always wanted to be all heroic and defend a lady’s honour. It didn’t occur to him that technically he was the villain in this scenario.

“Okay, and hear me out, what if instead of dawn, ten thirty.” Scott held his arms to demonstrate what a great plan this was.

Better and better, Andrew thought. He didn’t want to have to get up at dawn on a day they didn’t have to.

“Water pistols at ten thirty it is.” Andrew stuck his hand out to strike the bargain

“Hey, what if I want to defend my own honour?” Tessa protested.

“You can’t.” Scott stated. “It’s against the rules. You have to stand about wearing something pretty and wave a hanky or something. Besides since it was your idea in the first place, maybe the one whose honour we’re actually fighting over is Andrew’s and it should be me and Kaitlyn duelling.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” Kaitlyn brushed his suggestion away. She had a plan, that she would later divulge to Tessa, involving them sneaking in their own water pistols and ambushing the boys when they least expected it.

“Quite right,” Scott faked as bizarre a British accent as he could muster, it turned a little Wild West somewhere around the middle. “Should be the menfolk fighting for the womenfolk anyway.”

“You’re gonna get slapped by your womenfolk in a minute.” Tessa huffed.

“Ooh promise?” Scott sauntered toward her and started skittering his fingers over her waist in tickles, laughing at her cries for him to stop and feeble slaps to his shoulders.

Kaitlyn moved to lean into Andrew’s side. He hugged her tight and they shared an amused wordless conversation over the antics of their friends.

“I hate you.” Tessa declared between breathless shrieks.

“No, you don’t.” Scott caught her and held her fast about her waist. “You love me. Can’t live without me. You even set up subterfuge and carried out plans to get me.”

The night transferred easily into popcorn and board games with Scott and Kaitlyn teaming up a few times in mock retaliation.

 


End file.
